The Mummy
by Farie Insignias
Summary: Bamon plus The Mummy equals... need I say more?
1. The Living Death

**Disclaim! I do not own The Mummy or TVD or even the idea for this Mummy/TVD mash-up. That honour belongs to JazzywazzyO8 who was gracious enough to let me play with her brilliant idea. She's also the creator of the gorgeous piece of art I'm using for my story banner (she was super generous and even offered to make me something new, but I honestly think this is perfection as is).**

**I know I'm crazy for starting a new chaptered story, but inspiration struck and wouldn't leave me alone. Good news for AE though - I have one portion of the next chapter left to write and then I just have to edit and post, so that should be up shortly. On a side note, it's my birthday today! Yay!**

**Things You Should Know Before We Start - I'm going to be trying really hard to meld these two fandoms and make them cohesive without altering too much about the characters. That means it may not be exactly like the movie - it will have the same plot and probably quite a lot of the dialogue ('cause the dialogue is awesome), but only if it makes sense. I think when you read you'll understand what I mean. **

**I really hope you guys like this, 'cause I'm SO EFFIN' EXCITED to be writing it. lol. Enjoy!**

* * *

**690 B.C.E.**

_Avalon – island of mist; place of legend._

_Birthplace of Silas, Keeper of Dead and consort to High Sorceress Qetsiyah. A man of low beginnings, he saw fortunes rise with Qetsiyah's favour. She loved him greatly and no other had right to touch him._

_But Silas loved another; one he would risk life itself to hold in arms._

_Upon a day, this forbidden love was discovered. Qetsiyah vowed to show mercy to Silas if he renounced his affections for other woman and pledged his loyalty to her. But Silas, knowing fate awaiting his beloved should he comply, refused and took arms against the High Sorceress._

_Great battle ensued – one to make skies weep in anguish and split earth to core, but Qetsiyah was not to be defeated. Upon battle's end, Silas lay broken at her feet and his love decimated before him._

_He swore, in this life or next, he would hold beloved in arms once more and see end to Qetsiyah's life._

_The High Sorceress's love for Silas turned to ash in mouth at his betrayal and she bestowed upon him a curse so feared it had never before been set to purpose: the Hom-dai._

_Removing his organs, she encased him in a tomb of his own flesh hardened to stone – where he was to remain for all of eternity. Unable to live and make good his revenge; unable to die and be reunited with his love. To guard his eternal slumber, The Five Huntsmen – their sacred duty to ensure he never awaken. For if he did, he would arise walking disease; plague upon mankind; unholy flesh-eater with the strength of ages made glorious immortal._

* * *

**2010 C.E. – Avalon**

"Friends of yours?" Damon asked, taking a brief glance at the descending figures in the distance before darting for cover.

"No, actually," Kol replied from his spot beside him ducked behind a fallen, mossy tree trunk. "Klaus's. Hybrids, I take it."

Shit.

"How many?"

"Too many," Kol retorted, not even bothering to look.

Double shit.

He slid his gun from its holster and checked the magazine for wooden bullets.

"How many?" Kol asked, nodding his head in the gun's direction.

"Twelve; you?"

"Maybe six..." Kol shrugged uncertainly.

His attention snapped to his accomplice. "Where did all your bullets go?"

"There was a man the other day that needed _attending to_," he answered unapologetically.

Damon sighed heavily and replaced his gun in its holster. "Alright, here's what we do: we'll save the bullets for now and take as many as we can out by hand and try not to die in the process."

"The _simple_ genius of your plans never ceases to amaze," Kol commented sardonically with a tilt of his head.

Damon's lips turned down slightly as he narrowed his gaze. "You're with me on this, right?"

Kol flashed him a smile that fell short of his eyes. "Of course, darling. Your strength gives me strength."

Something akin to dread crawled into Damon's stomach, but he pushed it aside. He didn't have time for this crap.

Turning slowly, he felt the soft moss tickling his chin as he poked his head over the edge of the trunk. "On my go. Steady..."

The figures flashed closer. He could hear their progress through the forest now – the snapping of twigs and underbrush, the rustle in the air from the speed of their movements.

"Steady..."

He felt more than saw Kol fidgeting restlessly beside him. The hybrids flashed closer still; they were almost upon them now.

"Go!" Damon yelled, charging from his cover to meet the nearest hybrid and rip the heart from his chest.

Throwing the fleshy organ to the ground with a soft _splat_, he twisted quickly to avoid the assailant on his left. He stumbled backwards a step, noticing two hybrids coming at him at once and spun, dodging both sets of attacks simultaneously. The one on the left moved quickly to strike again and the one on the right made to grab him. Damon ducked and Mr. Left hit Mr. Right square in the jaw sending him reeling back.

Damon used this instance to spring back up and tear Mr. Left's heart out.

A sudden vice gripped him from behind pinning his arms down. He struggled, but whoever was holding him was built like a wall; he could see the muscles in their freakishly large arms flexing around him. From the corner of his eye he noticed Mr. Right was getting back up and he looked pissed.

Damon slammed his head back into The Wall's face with enough force to break their nose and loosen their grip. He darted forward past Mr. Right and through the trees when two women with yellow, glowing eyes stepped out in front of him. Not bothering to slow down he changed route only to have three more people block his path.

A growl ripped from his throat as he came to an abrupt halt. Kol was right; there were too many.

Speaking of Kol...

He scanned his surroundings quickly, taking in the way the hybrids were circling him and released a harsh curse.

The English bastard had left him for dead. "That son of a bitch," he muttered bitterly.

A few of the hybrids chuckled, Mr. Right included, knowing they had him.

And they did.

There was no way he could take them all out on his own. There was about fifteen of them - maybe more. He was awesome, but he wasn't _that_ awesome.

"Disna look good for ye," Mr. Right snickered with an unpleasant twist of his lips.

Damon shrugged nonchalantly and took another casual glance around, spotting a small opening in the circle they had made, "I've had worse odds..."

Taking a chance, he feinted, making a mad dash in the opposite direction of the opening before zooming towards it. Enough of the hybrids bought the feint to widen the opening and give him a decent head start.

He darted through the trees faster than he'd ever moved before, zigzagging and moving through the underbrush strategically to get them off his trail. He could hear the sounds of their pursuit behind him, the rapid beat of their footsteps against the forest floor.

Ahead of him he noticed the way the forest seemed to taper off into nothing. A cliff perhaps?

He pushed himself harder; the wind cutting ruthlessly across his skin as he rapidly approached the drop off. Not hesitating, he threw himself from the edge. Air rushed loudly past his ears as he fell and he brought his knees up slightly, preparing to land.

The ground met his feet suddenly and he rolled forward to ease some of the jolting force away from his legs. Then, getting back to his feet, he ducked quickly behind an overlarge boulder and went absolutely still, listening to his surroundings intently.

He could hear them moving around above him and someone saying, "He canna disappear! Spread oot!"

Several sets of footsteps dashed in different directions and when he could make out nothing more than chirping birds in the trees around him, he sagged against his boulder. Resting his head on the cool stone, he noticed something from the corner of his eye. A figure in the distance seemed to be peeling itself out of the tall stone ridge.

He twisted his head to get a better look and snarled.

"Kol!"

Damon was on his feet and speeding towards the traitor faster than most people could blink, but Kol was already slinking his way back into the crack he had come from. It was a fissure in the face of the rock wall just large enough for someone small to slip through. Damon made a grab for him, but only managed to graze his fingers along the bastard's jacket. Angling himself, he tried to reach further. Kol laughed from his place safe inside the cliff-side, "Sorry, mate. I'm afraid there's only room for one. Find your own spot."

"You little shit," he growled, his anger pushing the fangs forcefully from his gums.

"If I were you, I'd worry less about name calling and more about not dying."

Damon growled loudly, slamming his fists hard against the rock wall. If he ever saw the little fucker again he'd gut him, but first he had to get out of here alive. He had to find somewhere to wait out the search party; right now he was too exposed.

Pushing himself away from the rock wall he spun and darted further into the forest. He ran around for what felt like ages looking for a convenient hiding spot when he heard a thick Scottish brogue shout, "He's here!"

"Shit," Damon muttered and removed his gun from its holster as he continued to dash forward. Entering a clearing, he came to an abrupt halt, turned, took a deep, unnecessary breath and raised his gun.

The hybrids appeared from every direction. There weren't as many as the original group, some having broken off to search for him on other paths, but it was still more than he was comfortable going up against.

He squeezed the trigger in rapid fire succession. One body fell with a gentle _thud_ and then another, but they were moving too quickly for all his shots to land. Mr. Right flashed into existence beside him, knocking him off his feet. Damon hit the ground hard and lost his gun.

Mr. Right tried to climb on top of him, but Damon brought his knee up and slammed his boot into Mr. Right's chest sending him flying, then Damon flipped over and crawled towards his gun.

Stretching his arm out, his fingers just skimmed the grip when a high heeled boot kicked it away.

_Really? _he thought, _You know you're going to be running around in a forest and you wear those shoes..._

The boot swung at his face suddenly and he caught it, yanking roughly and causing the woman to land soundly on her ass. Not wasting any time, he threw his weight on top of her and snapped her neck then rolled to the side towards his gun.

Picking it up, he aimed towards the remaining hybrids and squeezed the trigger only to be rewarded with the sound of an empty clip.

"You've got to be fucking kidding me," he grumbled.

Mr. Right rushed at him and Damon threw his useless gun hard enough to sever the hybrid's head from his shoulders.

Satisfaction swelled in his chest, replaced quickly by discomfort as he was hoisted up roughly by the collar of his shirt and slammed into a rocky surface. He grunted, spinning around and coming face to face with The Wall. The Wall sneered in greeting, his top lip slick with blood from where Damon had head-butted him.

Damon planted his feet and swung, his fist colliding painfully with the man's jaw and though his head twisted appropriately, The Wall seemed otherwise unaffected by the punch. In fact, he laughed before closing a meaty hand around Damon's throat and lifting him off the ground.

Damon struggled in his grasp, his hands searching for some way to break his hold. One hand tried peeling his fingers away to no avail – his nails just raised dead flakes of skin; the other hand aimed for the hybrid's face, but when the man tried to bite him he pulled his hand back to the one wrapped around his windpipe.

He could hear the chuckles of the other hybrids as they watched him struggle.

His back crashed into the rocky surface behind him forcefully and he groaned. He was being pressed hard into the jagged surface, pieces of rock digging painfully into his spine while The Wall brought his face closer. The hybrid's eyes were a threatening yellow, his breath hot as it fanned across Damon's face.

Death by bite? No thank you.

Damon kicked wildly to no effect, The Wall continued to inch his fangs closer. Defeated, Damon squeezed his eyes shut and angled his head away from the impending bite.

Something shifted in the air. A strange sense of disquiet settled into the clearing and Damon's stomach jolted unexpectedly as he was dropped unceremoniously onto the ground. "The curse!" The Wall shouted, causing Damon to peek through his lashes and watch as the heavily muscled man and few remaining hybrids made a mad dash back into the forest.

_What the hell?_ he wondered as he picked himself up and dusted his jeans.

What sounded like whispering echoed throughout the clearing, so low he had to strain slightly to hear it. He went very still and tilted his head in confusion. The leaves on the trees bordering the clearing rustled and the whispers grew louder, then the wind picked up suddenly and the sky darkened.

Not usually one to be creeped out, Damon had to admit this was pretty freaking creepy. Taking a few cautious steps forward, he looked back at where he had been standing at the foot of a dilapidated, moss covered statue.

Foreboding took root at the centre of his chest as the whispers continued to grow, ominous and threatening, and the wind whipped violently across his face. The ground shifted abruptly under his feet and he struggled to remain upright, scrambling to the left and then the right. Every time he found a spot of solid earth to stand on, it fell away – sinking down or moving unnaturally to one side or the other.

Eventually losing his balance, he fell on his ass and shuffled backwards. The whispering was a roar in his ears now and try as he might to make sense of it, he couldn't tell one word from another, except for a resounding echo of,

"_You die... you die..."_

His hands finally met the soft dirt of steady ground and he rushed to get back to his feet. Standing once more, he looked down and felt his blood turn to ice in his veins. There, etched deep into the earth was a human face.

_Uh, I think that's my cue to leave..._he thought, turning and darting back into the forest.

* * *

Alaric stood with his brethren atop the cliff watching as the dark haired vampire tore through the woods. "The creature remains undiscovered."

"What about him?" Conner asked with a nod in the direction of the fleeing vampire.

"What _about _him?"

"Shouldn't we kill him?"

Alaric humoured the thought before shrugging it away. "Nah. He wouldn't be worth the trouble. He won't be coming back."


	2. The Key to Avalon

**Disclaiming characters, ideas and Theogony and Works and Days which was written by Hesiod. I do own the other two books mentioned though. As far as I know, those are make believe.**

**Thank you to everyone who reviewed and followed and etc. I'm excited that people are interested in this! This chapter follows the movie much more closely than the first did because not much needed to be changed in order for the story to work. I hope you guys will enjoy it.**

**TYSK - The Caroline in this story is a mix between Human/First Season! Caroline and Vampire/Rest of the Seasons! Caroline. She has a lot of the flaws that Human Caroline had, but she's got the loyalty and gives the incredible friendship that Vampire Caroline does.**

* * *

**Three Years Later – Mystic Falls**

The office of Atticus Shane was rather large for someone who had only a decade's worth of experience teaching under his belt, but his work ethic and impressive knowledge in his field had warranted it. He was the leading authority on all things occult after the late Shelia Bennett. As such the library within his office was extensive. Bookcase after bookcase were full of works on everything from scientology to the Brothers Grimm, and amidst these bookcases, standing near the top of a precariously placed ladder, was Bonnie Bennett.

She balanced a heavy pile of books in one arm as she sorted through the shelf before her.

Sighing heavily, she slid Theology and the Occult in Eastern Civilization back in its rightful place beside Theogony and Works and Days, then glanced down and paused. The delicate, faded cover of Shakespeare: Elizabethan Images of the Pagan and the Occult stared back at her.

That wasn't right.

"_You_ should be over..." She twisted carefully on the ladder to squint at the shelf behind her. "Ah, S – there."

Now how to get it there...?

She twisted back to the bookcase in front of her and carefully positioned her stack of books on a shelf, minus the heavy tome on Shakespeare. She shifted to face the opposite shelf. There was already a convenient opening right where the book needed to go so she wouldn't have to rearrange anything.

Eyeing the distance between herself and the bookcase, she contemplated just leaning over and trying to slide it in, but decided against it. With her luck she'd topple head first off the ladder. Of course, she could always...

She smiled and, taking a quick breath to clear her mind, lifted one hand over the book. Slowly, it rose until it was floating a few inches from her nose. She pushed it further away.

Bonnie had been aware of her witch heritage all of her life, but by the time she had actually believed it was true and was willing to study, her Grams had been too ill to teach her anything beyond levitating feathers. Then when her Grams had passed, Bonnie had found it too painful to continue to study on her own.

It was a good year before she regained the desire to learn, but with no one to tutor her it was slow going. Over the course of the next few years Bonnie took a serious interest in all aspects of the occult, not just the practical side. She focused heavily on theory, mythology and the evidence of the occult throughout history and became a veritable encyclopedia of useful knowledge.

This is how she found Professor Shane. He had taken over her grandmother's position at the university and after several classes with him, lengthy emails back and forth, and a couple office hour meetings, he had offered her a sort of internship. She would work for him as his personal research assistant and he would tutor her in the craft.

Of course, she was still pretty new to the practical side of magic, but this was a perfect opportunity to practice. It was just hovering a book from one place to another; how hard could it be?

The book drifted to the right as it continued to float forward until it was completely misaligned with its slot.

"Come on... Just a little more," she whispered as she attempted to shift it to the left, her hand illustrating the way she wanted it to move. It inched left, but glided back towards her in its effort.

She released a frustrated breath as the book continued to travel off course by just a few inches in one direction and then another. Her arm was starting to ache from keeping it extended for so long.

When, _finally_, she managed to get the book in line with the opening, she flicked her wrist abruptly and the heavy tome shot forward, ramming into the shelf with enough force that, to Bonnie's dismay, the entire bookcase toppled backwards.

The sound of books tumbling like a waterfall onto the office floor filled the room only to be blocked out by the loud thumping of wood against wood as one bookcase knocked into another... and another...

Metal scraping and banging soon joined the cacophony as the filing cabinets were struck.

_No, not the filing cabinets!_ Bonnie gave a mental cry, clambering down the ladder to watch as loose leaf papers went spilling across the floor. It had taken her ages to get those damn things organized...

Silence cocooned the room suddenly, the last cabinet coming to a rest and remaining papers fluttering softly to the ground. Bonnie bit her lip, taking in the carnage around her.

"Oops."

The door to the office burst open and in ran Professor Shane. He stumbled to an abrupt halt, looking around in disbelief. "Bonnie... what the hell happened here?"

"It was an accident."

"No, Bonnie." He raked a hand through his hair, pulling at the strands and stepping carefully around the debris. "Mt. Vesuvius erupting was an accident; _this_ is a catastrophe."

He came to a stop a few feet away from the fallen filing cabinets and papers littered across the carpet, making a noise like a dying cat. "Half of the research for my new book was in those cabinets," he said and then lower, to himself, "Why do I keep you around?"

Whoa there! So she may have set a couple things on fire and exploded an artifact or two, but she was the best damn assistant he would ever have!

Indignation pushed her guilt aside and she moved to stand in front of him so she could look him straight in the eye when she said, "You keep me around because I can read and write both Latin and Gallic fluently, I can decipher hieroglyphics and hieratic, and I'm the only person within a thousand miles who has almost _as in depth_ a knowledge of the occult as you do."

"I keep you around," he informed her with a vexed stare, "out of respect to your grandmother's memory. Shelia Bennett was one of the finest women I've ever known."

Bonnie bowed her head, not really knowing what to say to that.

Shane let out a tired sigh. "Just... straighten up this... meshiva. I'm going out for a smoke."

He picked his way back across the room and out the door, disappearing down the hallway as Bonnie re-examined the damage. She was exhausted just looking at it; how exactly was she supposed to clean this all up?

_He's crazy if he thinks I'm lifting those bookcases the muggle way..._

A loud noise sounded from somewhere down the hall and she spun. Hesitating for just a moment, she looked back at the half ruined office before moving towards the hallway. She glanced both ways down the darkened passageway wondering where the sound had come from when she heard it again.

Her head snapped to the left. She squinted, but couldn't see anything down the hall. It was completely empty. There was only one room off the hallway in that direction, so inching forward, she started down the corridor.

Once by the doorway, she peered inside. Her view was limited as the room was full of all different shaped and sized curios and artifacts from around the world that had either been lent or donated to the university for study.

Bonnie gave herself a mental shove and stepped into the room. She had no idea why she was feeling so apprehensive. She knew everyone who worked in this small branch of the university and none of them were the least bit threatening.

Looking about herself as she walked further into the room, she called out, "Professor Shane...? Matt...?" She came to a stop in front of a half open sarcophagus in the middle of the room. "Bob...?"

"Who's Bob?" asked a voice right beside her ear.

Bonnie screamed, spinning and throwing her arms out to ward off the attacker, sending them flying back and skidding across the wood paneled flooring. The 'attacker' shrieked in surprise and Bonnie recognised too late the familiar blonde figure as she slid to a halt against the legs of a life sized statue of Anubis.

"Caroline! You scared the hell out of me!" she cried, holding a hand to her hammering chest.

"Sorry. Sometimes I forget how quiet I am now," she said, getting to her feet and walking back over. "Nice throw by the way."

Bonnie winced. "Yeah, sorry about that. I'm a little tense right now. I literally just destroyed Professor Shane's office." She groaned suddenly, remembering the mess she still had to clean. "Today has been complete crap. Bembridge University declined my Masters application," she confessed solemnly.

"Aw, Bonnie," Caroline said, wrapping her arms around her sympathetically.

"They said I didn't have enough field experience. I don't have _any_ field experience," she whispered into her friend's shoulder.

Caroline hugged her tighter. "You'll always have me, Bonbon."

Bonnie chuckled lightly, squeezing her back. "Thanks." She pulled away to look at her friend properly. "What are you even doing here? Shouldn't you be job hunting?"

Caroline shifted, offering a weak smile. "About that..."

"Caroline," she exclaimed, exasperated, "I can't keep paying the rent for both of us."

The two girls had been sharing a small apartment since they started university, but it was difficult. With Caroline's inability to keep down a job they were constantly on the verge of being evicted or having their utilities shut off.

"I know!" Caroline responded, her hands outstretched to stop Bonnie from going on. "And I'm looking, I swear. There just isn't anything out there. I mean, does it look like I do manual labour?"

Bonnie lifted a pointed brow; the corner of her mouth pulling down, unimpressed, and Caroline backtracked quickly,

"But I'll find something soon, I promise. In the meantime..."

Bonnie sagged against the sarcophagus, already knowing where this was headed. Lately, Caroline had been 'treasure hunting' as she liked to call it. She'd go to different garage sales and look for 'hidden gems' – collectable items or anything that looked like it might be worth something – and then try and sell it for more online.

Bonnie shook her head. "I really don't feel like meeting anymore random strangers off of Craig's List. Most of those people are really creepy."

"But this one will be totally worth it," she protested, digging in her oversized purse and pulling out a strange octagonal object. "See, it has Antique Road Show written all over it."

The air rushed from Bonnie's lungs as she looked at the metal box.

"No... It has Archaic Latin written all over it," she said, reaching carefully for the object, eyes wide in disbelief. The metal was cool in the palm of her hand and, despite how solid it looked, it felt strangely hollow. Her brow furrowed as she examined it closer, tracing her fingers over the engravings as she read them. "Where did you find this?"

"At a flea market a couple towns over," Caroline responded breezily. "Please tell me I found something expensive."

"Caroline..." Bonnie began, placing her fingers strategically along the etchings and squeezing. With a soft click the top opened out like a mechanic flower with eight metallic, jagged petals. Inside its heart laid a folded, ancient looking parchment. "I think you found something expensive."

* * *

"See that sigil in the corner," Bonnie said, pointing to the star like symbol at the edge of the parchment. "That's the mark of Qetsiyah. I'm sure of it."

Professor Shane brought the map closer to his nose, his lips turning down as he continued to examine it. "Maybe." He sounded sceptical.

The office was still in disarray, but Professor Shane's desk had managed to survive the catastrophe unscathed. They were piled around it; Caroline lounging comfortably on a chair in front of the desk and Bonnie hovering over the Professor's shoulder as he studied what could be the biggest find in a century.

"Two questions," chimed Caroline, "Who was Qetsiyah? And was she rich?"

"Filthy rich," Bonnie answered, her excitement bubbling over into a smile, "and one of the most powerful witches in recorded history. They say she wrote the first grimoires and that they have the power to control life and death."

"Cool. I like her already."

Bonnie leaned back over Professor Shane's shoulder, her hands itching to take hold of the parchment once more. "This map has to be at least two thousand years old. And look –" her elbow bumped his nose in her eagerness to direct his attention to the nearly illegible writing at the corner of the map, and he squinted at her in reprehension –"the Latin over here... it translates to Avalon."

"Avalon?" Professor Shane repeated uncomprehendingly, turning to look at her. "You can't be serious? Bonnie..." he let out a long, weary breath, "Avalon is a myth. It doesn't exist. Or should I start looking for Atlantis on here too?" He took a cigarette out of the package in his top drawer and lit it, inhaling hastily.

Bonnie opened her mouth to protest when Caroline shot up in her seat and said, "Whoa, wait. Are we talking about, like, _the Avalon_? As in –"

"King Arthur?" Bonnie finished for her. "Yeah."

Caroline's eyes bugged and she sagged back into her chair. "Whoa."

"It's a myth," Professor Shane repeated firmly.

Bonnie shook her head. "Look, I know all the stupid stories about the mummy –"

"What mummy?" asked Caroline.

Bonnie sighed, "There's this legend about Qetsiyah cursing this guy for betraying her –"

"A lover's tiff?"

Bonnie shrugged. "That's what the story says, and – anyways, she made him into this mummy and if he's woken up he'll _destroy the world_." She waved her hands to illustrate how much stock she put in the story. "But that doesn't mean the island itself isn't real. It's supposed to be where Qetsiyah hid her grimoires and all her money and this thing called the cure."

"In a big underground treasure chamber," Caroline tagged on knowingly.

Bonnie's brow crumpled and she chanced a glance at Professor Shane. He had his arms crossed on the table, the cigarette hanging haphazardly from his fingers as he stared at Caroline in confusion.

The girl in question merely shrugged. "Isn't it _always_ in a big underground chamber filled with lots of booby traps and a cleverly hidden self-destruct button? At least it is in the movies."

"Yeah well, as your Grams would say, Bonnie, this is all just a bunch of fairytales and hokum," Professor Shane retorted right before the map burst into flames.

"Oh shit," he exclaimed, jumping back and knocking his seat over while flicking the map away from him and onto the floor.

Caroline sprang from her seat, keeping as much distance between her and the open flame as possible while Bonnie, heart in her throat, raced around the desk and waved her hand to put out the fire.

"My cigarette; I wasn't thinking," Professor Shane said as he stepped back towards his desk and peered over the edge at the charred map.

Bonnie sunk to her knees examining the remains. Smoke was still rising from it as if it might burst into flames again at any moment, but it seemed only one corner of the map had truly been destroyed.

"Is it okay?" Caroline asked from a few feet away.

"Most of Avalon got burned off," Bonnie reported, feeling the truth of the words and what they meant for her potential discovery jab painfully at her heart.

"It's probably for the best," Professor Shane started solemnly, looking down at her. "A lot of people have wasted their lives looking for Avalon. I wouldn't want you to be one of them."


	3. Blood and Asphalt

**I just want to say a _massive_ thank you to anyone who took the time to review. All the reviews I get make me _so _happy! And I'm really pumped that people are enjoying this mash-up. For those of you waiting on the next chapter of AE, it will be a while still. The next thing I'm working on is a Kennett fic for my sister. She asked me to write one for her ages ago and I finally got some inspiration recently, but after that it's AE. I promise!**

**TYSK - Caroline's vampire origin story is a lot different in this story than from on the show. Katherine, Damon and Bonnie have nothing to do with how Caroline became a vampire. If anyone wants to know my vampire Caroline's origin story I'll make a post on Tumblr about it.**

**Now on to the chapter! I hope you enjoy!**

* * *

"I thought you said you found it at a flea market," Bonnie said, staring at the hideous neon sign hanging above the entrance to the bar. _Cairo,_ it read in big glaring pink letters. It even had an attached sand dune and palm tree made out of the appropriate coloured lights.

She really hoped it wasn't as seedy on the inside as it looked on the outside.

"Well, replace the words 'flea market' with 'stole it from an ex-fling' and yeah, I totally did."

Bonnie looked at her in disbelief. "I can't believe you lied to me."

"Bonnie, I lie to everyone," she responded like that excused her.

"Yeah, but I'm your _best_ friend."

"That just makes you more gullible," she explained casually.

Bonnie scoffed and rolled her eyes, watching as her supposed best friend moved towards the entrance. When Caroline realized she wasn't following her, she turned back. "Coming?"

Bonnie folded her arms and shifted her weight to one side. "How do you even know he's still here?"

"Well I didn't for sure, but the last time I saw him he said he was waiting for someone to come to town and he'd be here until they showed up. And that's his car over there," she pointed at a classic blue Camaro parked a stone's throw away, "so he must be here."

Trepidation knotted Bonnie's stomach as she examined the course of action she was about to take.

Every other summer Caroline spent with her father in Denver. During her last visit, her first as a vampire, she had a rather torrid fling – her words, not Bonnie's – with an older, more experienced vampire. Bonnie knew very little about him other than his name and the fact that, despite being incredible in bed, he was kind of an ass.

Did it seem like a good idea to be going to this older, more experienced, probably quite dangerous vampire and asking him for information about the puzzle box his ex-fling had stolen from him...?

Not really, but she wanted answers and he, apparently, had them.

Sighing, she steeled her nerve and marched forward. "Alright, let's just get this over with."

It was, in fact, _seedier_ on the inside. The lighting was dim, but not intentionally so - there were just a lot of light fixtures that were either broken or missing – and every surface they passed seemed to be covered in splotches of sticky substances.

Bonnie tossed a curious look at her best friend. Caroline would never set foot in a place like this without good reason. "What possessed you to come here in the first place?"

"I was driving back to Mystic and I noticed his car in the parking lot..." Caroline trailed off with a shrug.

"And what? You thought you'd just drop in to say hello and steal some of his belongings?" she pressed, feeling her interest peak with Caroline's evasiveness.

Caroline huffed, turning to face her. "I wanted to tell him off, okay? The stealing was just a happy by-product – and could we _not_... here." She made a pointed gesture toward her ear and Bonnie nodded her understanding.

"Right, sorry." She always forgot about the supernatural hearing thing.

Caroline shrugged off her apology and turned to lead them the rest of the way towards the bar. As if sensing their presence, a dark haired man – a great deal younger and more polished looking than the patrons around him – turned to watch them as they approached.

_Wow,_ Bonnie couldn't help but think as she gave him a quick once over. Caroline had sent her a few pics of Damon during their fling, but there was something about him that couldn't be captured by pixels on a screen and it was hitting her full force right now. He was just _really_... sexy.

When they stopped a few feet away from his stool, the corner of his lips pulled up in a smirk and he raised his tumbler in greeting. "Caroline. Here to steal something else from me?"

His blue eyes flicked to Bonnie and her skin prickled, heat pooling in her cheeks as he scanned her from the tips of her toes to the top of her head. His brow lifted in interest. "I see you brought a friend."

"Best friend, actually," Caroline corrected. She made a very Vanna White-like gesture in Bonnie's direction. "Bonnie Bennett. Bonnie, this is Damon Salvatore."

It might have been the bad lighting, but she could have sworn his lips turned down slightly at the mention of her name. The movement was so quick it was hard to tell. Shaking off her suspicions, Bonnie nodded politely in greeting. "Hi."

Giving her a final, slow burning once over, he turned towards the bar. "I guess she's not a total loss," he said casually before tossing his drink back and signalling the bartender for another.

"_Excuse me?_" she exclaimed, stepping forward. "I _know_ you didn't just say –"

A hand on her shoulder pulled her gently back and she swung round to find Caroline giving her a pointed, wide-eyed look. _Calm down,_ it read. _We need him._

Releasing a harsh breath, she glanced back at him and noticed him peeking at her from the coner of his eye, looking amused. Riled, she turned stiffly back to Caroline and gestured for her to take over.

"Listen, we just have a few questions and then –"

"I'm not talking to you," he interrupted, nursing his tumbler and leaning against the bar to look at Bonnie. "I'll talk to _her_ though."

Was this guy for real? First he insults her and now she's the only person he'll talk to?

A frown marred her features as she struggled to push her swelling irritation to the side. Taking a deep, calming breath, Bonnie began to speak, "Caroline found your puzzle box – "

"Found?" he echoed, lifting an eyebrow that said, _Try again._

She squeezed her eyes shut and took another breath. "The box that Caroline _stole_ –"

"Better."

Her eyes flew open before slitting thinly as she spoke through clenched teeth, "We have some questions about –"

"No you don't."

"_What?_" she snapped, losing all patience.

She had never wanted to hit someone more. She didn't even care if she ended up breaking her hand; she wanted to punch him in the face.

He seemed to take some sort perverse pleasure out of the violence flashing in her eyes. His gaze narrowed, lips twisting sinfully. "You're not here about the box. _You_ want to know about Avalon."

Her heart jumped unexpectedly to her throat and she stepped closer, her anger momentarily forgotten. "Why would I want to know about that? Avalon is a myth."

He shrugged, stating matter-of-factly, "Because that's where I was when I found it."

She leaned forward suddenly. Her hip bumped his thigh, but she refused to move away as she whispered in disbelief, "_You_ were on Avalon?"

"Yup," he said, not at all offended by her scepticism.

"Do you swear?"

"Every damn day."

Irritation flared in her chest, displacing her curiosity. "That's not what I meant."

He smirked, amused. "I know what you meant."

She bit her lip, uncertain if she should even bother asking, "Could you... tell me how to get there?"

His eyes were trained on her so intently it felt like he was trying to dissect her. Blood rushed unbidden to her cheeks and he licked his lips. "Now why would you want to go to a place like that?"

"Why? What's it like?"

His gaze flashed to something behind her then back again so quickly she might have imagined it. "You really want to know?"

She nodded and he crooked his finger. She couldn't help but notice there was next to no room between them as it was, but she decided to humour him, leaning closer.

His rough palm found the back of her neck and he pulled her abruptly forward, crushing his lips against hers. Something like electricity coursed up her spine and shot through the rest of her body. It came to stop at the tips of her toes and the skin at the nape of her neck where his hand rested.

Through the pleasant haze of her mind and the overwhelming sensation of his tongue grazing her bottom lip, Bonnie heard Caroline yell, "Get off of her, you jerk!"

He was pushed back suddenly, bumping into the bar and falling half off his stool. Caroline acted as a barricade, planting herself directly between them. Her stance was more hostile than Bonnie had ever seen from her before, but even with her standing there, Bonnie could still make out the self-satisfied smile plastered across Damon's face.

He stood, straightening his leather jacket and catching her eye over Caroline's shoulder. "Meet me in the alley behind this crap house in five minutes."

Caroline bristled. "Uh, could you be any sleazier? There's no way Bonnie's meeting you in an alley."

Already walking away, his attention focused on something near the entrance, he shot back, "Now, if you'll excuse me ladies, I have a hot date waiting for me."

Air rushed harshly from Bonnie's lungs leaving her feeling like she'd been punched in the gut. Who kisses a complete stranger in front of their date?

"What a pig," Caroline noted in disgust before turning to Bonnie contritely, "I'm so sorry. I had no idea he'd do something like that."

"No, Care," she waved away her concern, "don't apologize for him. I don't know who the hell he thinks he is, but I'm not going to take that crap lying down."

She watched as he approached a sultry looking brunette woman. If she was his date they didn't look too happy to see each other. His smile in greeting was brittle and she seemed bored and vaguely amused by his presence. They exchanged a few words. He looked upset, gesturing his head towards the back exit and she laughed, ducking her chin and smiling coyly. Then she stroked his chest and sauntered in the direction he had indicated.

They disappeared through the back exit and Bonnie made to follow.

Caroline grabbed her arm and held her in place. "Whoa. Where are you going?"

She tossed her friend a determined look. "I'm going to get the answers I came here for."

* * *

Bonnie was prepared to walk into the middle of a lover's quarrel. She was even prepared for the unpleasant sight of alleyway sex. What she wasn't prepared for was seeing Damon Salvatore being flung into the brick wall across from the bar.

He made a sickening cracking sound when he hit and groaned, doubling over. Bonnie tucked herself to the side of the back exit alcove, peeking around the corner. She could feel Caroline press in close behind her, stretching her neck to see what was happening.

The brunette woman, who did the flinging, leant casually against the back wall of the bar and watched him. "What are you trying to accomplish here, Damon?"

He spat a glob of blood onto the cracked asphalt beneath his feet and straightened up, shrugging. "I'm just looking for a good time."

He charged at her, moving faster than Bonnie could track with her eyes. The brunette flashed forward meeting him halfway.

Caroline gripped Bonnie's arm and tugged gently, "Maybe we should get out of here."

"Wait." She didn't know why she felt like this was where she needed to be.

Damon tossed a punch at the woman who ducked and kicked out with her high heeled boot. The boot connected with his chest, knocking him back. Barely giving himself time to recover, he dashed forward again. His shoulder caught her in the stomach slamming her against the wall. She grunted and brought her knee up to crash into his face.

He stumbled backward, grasping his face. His heel caught on a pot hole and he landed on his ass. The brunette was on him in seconds, pinning him down and rearing her head back, fangs bared. "Time to die."

"No!" Bonnie shouted, stepping away from the alcove and into the alley. She heard Caroline call her name and felt her close her hand around her arm once more, but she kept talking. "Please don't kill him."

Bonnie's heart raced as the woman studied her coolly, an amused smile painted on her lips. "Uw, witnesses. I thought I could hear someone hiding in the dark." She looked back down at Damon and finished conversationally, "Looks like I'm getting dinner _and_ a show."

"Not tonight, bitch," he growled before slipping a slim stake from up his sleeve and shoving it into her chest.

A short cry fell from her lips as her hands came up to touch the stake. Her mouth hung open in astonishment even as she fell off Damon and rolled to the side.

Damon got to his feet, dusting his clothes off while turning to face Bonnie. "I thought I told you to wait five minutes."

She opened her mouth to retort when she noticed the woman getting back to her feet. She held the stake tightly in one hand, looking pissed.

"Damon," Bonnie warned, her focus darting behind him. His brow crumpled and he turned.

"You missed," the woman said, raising the stake to drive it through Damon's heart. Bonnie lifted her hand instinctively, sending the stake flying out of the brunette's grasp and clattering to the ground somewhere down the alley.

The woman tossed her a dark look of surprise and Damon used the distraction to knock her off her feet.

"I really think _now_ would be the time to leave," Caroline said, hovering anxiously beside Bonnie.

"We need him, Care."

She watched as Damon lost the small advantage he had gained, once again getting his ass handed to him. The woman slammed him roughly into the wall and unceremoniously plunged her hand into his chest, wrapping her opposite hand around his throat and lifting him off the ground for good measure.

He grunted painfully and Bonnie's stomach knotted. She remembered reading a book on ways to take out a vampire, but that had been ages ago. The spells all jumbled in her head as she struggled to think of one she could use. If only she had more time... But she didn't. He was going to die unless she did something and quick.

Blood seeped from the corner of his mouth and the woman went on her tiptoes to lick it away. She hummed her appreciation as she pulled back to look at him. "Well, it's been fun -"

"I'll give you a hundred dollars not to kill him!" Bonnie blurted, desperation propelling her forward a few steps closer.

The brunette twisted her head towards Bonnie and scoffed disdainfully, "A hundred dollars?"

"Five hundred." When the woman continued to look unimpressed, she bumped it up. "A thousand!"

"Bonnie," Caroline called out, alarmed.

Okay, so she didn't actually have a thousand to give, but maybe if she worked something out with her bank they'd let her dip into her savings account.

The woman's lips curled mockingly and she eyed Damon. "Well, well, Salvatore. You must have left quite the impression for her to be so loyal." She turned back to Bonnie and added, "I taught him everything he knows."

"Go to hell, Katherine," he managed through bloody, clenched teeth.

"You first," she snarled back, her features morphing monstrously.

Bonnie's heart jumped out of her chest and she shouted, "He knows where Avalon is! He's been there!"

Katherine's brow scrunched in confusion. "Avalon?" She studied Damon sceptically, "_You've_ been to Avalon?"

"Why is that so hard for everyone to believe?" he grunted brokenly.

"He's going to take me there," Bonnie continued.

Even with Katherine's arm rammed in his chest and her hand wrapped around his throat, Damon still managed to send her a look that read, _When did I say that?_

She ignored him and kept talking; feeling her confidence grow the longer Katherine paused. "We'll give you twenty-five percent of any treasure that we find."

"Sorry, Honey. Treasure doesn't do it for me," Katherine said, her focus on the man in front of her.

"How about the cure?"

Katherine tilted her head. "What cure?"

"The cure to mortality."

"I'm already immortal," she said, sounding bored.

"Not like this you aren't," Bonnie countered. "The cure grants anyone who drinks it complete invulnerability. You wouldn't need to fear fire or a stake through the heart... You'd be immortal in the truest sense of the word."

The moment Katherine gave Bonnie her full attention she knew she had this in the bag.

"And this cure...? It's on Avalon?"

Bonnie nodded. "And he's the only one who knows how to get there."

Not entirely true. Bonnie still had the map, so she had a vague idea of where it might be, but Katherine didn't need to know that.

Katherine glanced between Bonnie and Damon intently, weighing her options. Then, making a sound of disgust, she retracted her hand from his chest and let him drop like a ragdoll. Licking her fingers deliberately, she strolled to Bonnie.

Bonnie could feel Caroline at her side, ready to intervene if Katherine made any sudden moves.

"I guess we have a deal then," she said, a warm smile overtaking her features but falling short of her eyes. An unspoken threat lingered in the air between them as Katherine finished licking the blood from her fingers.

"I guess we do," Bonnie shot back calmly, crossing her arms in front of her chest to hide their shaking. Katherine hummed thoughtfully and walked past the girls to the back exit of _Cairo_, opening the door and disappearing inside.

"_I guess we do_," Caroline repeated appreciatively, "That was pretty badass."

"You think so?" She smiled, feeling a little giddy with relief.

"Totally," Caroline said with an approving nod before her eyes drifted around the alleyway in displeasure. "Now that you've saved the day, can we finally go?"

"Sure."

Bonnie turned to see Damon still crumpled on the ground, his face pained. His lips and chest remained a bloody mess and it seemed to take a massive amount of energy just for him to lift his head and look at her.

She just saved this man's life...

A tiny smile pulled at the corner of her lips as a strange sense of pride swelled in her chest. "You're welcome, by the way," she stated confidently before spinning on her heel, locking her arm with Caroline's and walking out of the alley.


End file.
